Hey so question. After seeing a hell of a lot of Voltron coming across my dash, I'm really curious. Is it good? Should I watch it? It looks good... I don't know. Then the big issue is where would I watch it? You seem like the person to ask. Tell me all you can about it, but preferably without major spoilers?

So here’s my opinion on Voltron. I’ll give you the most unbiased version first.

Voltron comes from the same studio that Avatar: The Last Airbender and Legend of Korra came from. While not exactly the same as the others, crew members who worked in those series came together to give Voltron (originally from japan) a new spin. While ATLA and LOK carry heavy themes of fantasy with very little sci fi, Voltron is the opposite.

If you’re looking for a series set in a sci-fi setting in the distant future, enjoy dynamic interactions between characters, and miss the many subtle and not-so-subtle lessons in big themes that ATLA and LOK often touched on, I would recommend Voltron.

Keeping in mind, of course, that Voltron’s primary demographic is similar to ATLA’s demographic (between 7- 13 year olds, officially) so there are parts that most of the older generations consider to be childish. (Which is…the point. Because. It’s a kid’s show)

My personal opinion? I absolutely recommend it. Take aside shipping for a moment (please actively do this when you start) and watch it as it’s meant to be seen.

It’s a story that touches on five teenagers that are suddenly thrown into the roles of protectors of the universe. A 10,000 year war that’s devastated much of the known universe, it focuses on how each of them come to terms with this new responsibility, whether they accept it eagerly or otherwise. They are very much teenagers in many aspects, young adults in others.

While a lot goes unexplained in regards to technological minutiae and scientific theory, it handles so much of it in a magical sense which is incredibly awe-inspiring. It makes it so nice to watch.

The dialogue is amusing and witty, characters clash in ways that feel realistic despite the whole “and suddenly the day is saved!” Feel that some episodes end on (but not without cause or reason lol) and ultimately the underlying story is treated with appropriate drama.

Voltron: Legendary Defender captures the feel of “greatness thrust upon you” and all of the characters respond accordingly. It’s refreshing, it’s super fun, and the animation makes the whole thing wonderfully enjoyable.

Now as to where to watch it, if you have Netflix, that’s the best place to support the series and watch it without any risks. I watched it there and had a good time with it. If you don’t have Netflix or have a means to borrow a friend’s account, Kisscartoon still has the episodes up there as far as I’m concerned (but you’ll need to be careful since KissAnime and KissCartoon have been under attack recently). I know of only those to be able to watch the show, so if there’s anyone out there who has any other ways of watching please reblog and show!

Now, for some personal thoughts.

When I watched the first episode, I will be honest, I got a little bored and stopped watching for a while. It felt very much like a kid’s show and I was like “eh. This is nice.”

Then I was doing a job that required I work from home and take calls and in between long downtimes, I had nothing better to do so I was all “eh, I’ll give it another shot”

So I started watching it. By episode 5 I was hooked. I absolutely loved Hunk, he had been my favorite character and seeing this loveable food enthusiast get some well-deserved screen time saving the day and overcoming his own fears, dude I was IN. I became fond of Pidge and even Lance’s flirty behavior left me snickering because that dude was ME.

Allura left me inspired, Shiro’s words gave me strength when I was facing a tough time. There was so much in there that helped me crawl out of a bad place I honestly didn’t realize I ended up neck-deep in. Now, I had seen old Voltron when I was a kid, so a lot of the stuff there I couldn’t remember aside from the fact that Keith originally piloted black and Allura was Blue’s Paladin… and I dunno I was like what–is this even the show I remember?? But I gave it a shot and loved how Keith was shown to be a very loyal, very dedicated right hand to Shiro’s black lion. (When season 2 rolled around finally, I fell head over heels for Keith. Bless that angsty shonen anime protagonist knock off. Goddd) and Even Coran! Whom I just dismissed as the annoying comic relief old dude who was more Charlie Chaplin than anything, ended up being a character I genuinely enjoyed writing in fanfiction.

By the time I got to the end of season one, I was so deep that when I looked up to click on the next episode I literally screamed “WHAT” when there wasn’t a new one. Season 2 wasn’t out yet. I went back and forth trying to see if season 2 had come out yet. I kid you not when I tell you I tore through the Internet and fell into my bed and groaned into my pillows when I found out season 2’s release date hadn’t even been confirmed! Some said it was fall of 2016 others said winter.

I remember getting on my skype group chat with multiple friends I’ve met and talked to throughout the years just to harp and exclaim about the show and it’s severe lack of season 2. I managed to get several of them to watch it and even dragged down with me into this hell we call Voltron! Hahahaha

After that I fell into the fandom, I read fan fiction, made some of my own, I even started my own webcomic inspired by the whole thing and made new friends along the way!

Now look at me, I’m getting ready to go on a huge adventure of my own where before I was miserable with the lack of direction my life had. I didn’t think the influence of a kid’s show would have such a great impact in my life but dude, it really did.

Listen, There are a ton of reasons to watch Voltron, some people may agree with me or not. But if you do end up watching it, if you do end up deciding like I did, and so many others before me and after me have done–you’ll probably end up going all, “holy shit this show is AWESOME!”

You might end up discovering new passions through it, you may end up making whole new friends and people you can end up calling family. You’ll probably end up incredibly annoyed at *that* side of the fandom, and you may end up being like many who have been unable to shake off the fandom drama and have had their experiences soured.

There are so many things you can encounter because of this show.

I decided a long time ago, that if I was gonna get into this series, I wasn’t going to get wrapped up in the same BS I did when I was in ATLA and LOK. And since then, I’ve been incredibly happy.

So, if you wanna try your luck and see what it has in store for you, I say, friggin do it. Jump in. Let it coax you in, test the waters, or dive in head first and see where the waters take you my guy.

I haven’t regretted a bit of it.

And if in the end you decide, “eh it’s not my cup of tea,” then hey, at least you tried it. :P

Radiant Office– the little underdog that could! This show has nothing new to offer, but it was packaged with such warmth and heart and agonizing relatability that I fell for the Suicide Squad as they tried to prove they were worth being given a chance. This is currently my favorite show of the year – at least for now.

Whisper– what a wild and crazy ride. This is a show that, if left to my own devices, I probably would have dropped. Lee Bo Young and Kwon Yul kept my attention (poor Lee Sang Yoon and his eyebrows did their best, but I’m not sure if he’s really cut out for this kind of intensely dramatic role), and the show was utterly stolen by Kim Hyung Mook as Secretary Song. While I enjoyed the constant allusions to real-life corruption, this wasn’t what I’d consider to be one of Park Kyung Soo’s better dramas.

Tunnel– I can appreciate it intellectually for what it was trying to do and what it accomplished, the concept was interesting, the cast was pretty great (Yoon Hyun Min was perfect as ever, but as much as I love Sexy Demon Daddy, he really needed to dial down the shouting). But for whatever reason, it didn’t grab me as it should have. On paper it has everything I’d want in a mystery/thriller, but in reality it was difficult giving it my full attention and my heart just couldn’t connect with any of the characters. I enjoyed it for the most part, but it’s going to be one of those dramas that I’ll immediately forget I ever watched.

Individualist Ms. Ji Young – this drama special hit some very painful nerves but in the best way. There are shadows of Flower Boy Next Door with the bubbly neighbor that barges his way into the life of the loner-next-door. But there’s also a darker sadness and realness here that one doesn’t always find in dramas. Perhaps that’s why, even beyond the fact it’s only two 1-hour episodes, this felt more like a movie than a drama. This is by far my favorite romance I’ve watched this year, which probably tells you too much about my tastes (or at least my inner world).

Currently watching:

Super Family 2017

Chicago Typewriter

Recent premieres I plan to check out when I have a chance:

Fight My Way

Lookout

Circle

Dropping/skipping:

My Sassy Girl – despite loving Joo Won in Gaksital, I just haven’t been able to get into his other dramas. I also have a terrible track record for sageuks, be they fusion or not. This means it’s on the “skip” list even if I have hopes for the fantastic Oh Yeon Seo in the titular role.

Suspicious Partner – I loved this writer’s previous work (All About My Romance; Protect the Boss) so this may go into the watch list eventually, but nothing I’ve heard so far has made me want to immediately pick it up.

Upcoming dramas of interest:

The Best Hit – I am really excited about this one, because I loved the docu-style from Producer until it turned into a standard drama. I also love Yu PD, and Cha Tae Hyun has been my favorite of the 1N2D members ever since the original crew moved on to other things, so I’m curious to see how they’ll handle directing their first-ever drama together. Also, as a fan of the slice-of-life genre, I’m hoping it will be along those lines just based on the premise. Last but not least, this cast is incredible, and I’m already anticipating a slew of cameos.

Duel – I was only vaguely interested in this because it’s from the writer of Nine: Nine Times Time Travel and Queen In Hyun’s Man (and I’m assuming this is the writer who focused on the more sci-fi mind-bendy aspects of those dramas ‘cause this one has clones) but given a choice to recap this one, I took it, because I have a feeling this will be fun to write about.

Forest of Secrets – I’m hoping giving this one up for Duel won’t haunt me because omg this caaaaaaaaaaast.

Woman of Dignity – I’m so nervous and conflicted. I adore Kim Sun Ah and Kim Hee Sun, and having them work together in a show is like a dream come true. But I really hated the writing of SWDBS and don’t trust this writer to do these incredible women justice. *fingers crossed for a miracle*

Bad Guys: Age of Evil – everyone’s gnashing their teeth that the original crew aren’t coming back but I’m over here already anticipating Park Sung Woong and (possibly) Kang Ha Neul.

As always, any drama not listed means I have nothing new to add since the last mention and/or it’s not something I care about enough to add to the list.